Description
Nigella – Devil-in-a-bush – Love-in-a-mist –
There are 15-20 species of stiffly erect, bushy annuals in this genus. They occur on rocky slopes, wasteland, and in fallow fields in the Mediterranean, Eurasia, Northern Africa and in Western Asia. It produces alternate, feathery, pinnatisect to 3 pinnatisect leaves. The solitary, sometimes paired, terminal or axillary flowers, borne mainly in summer, are pink, blue, yellow, or white, with 5 petal-like sepals, and 5-10 smaller, 2 lipped true petals, they nestle within a showy, ruff like collar of strongly veined leaves, with hairy, wispy divisions at the each tip. The decorative, occasionally inflated capsules with persistent styles can be dried for flower arrangements. Grow in an informal, mixed or annual border, self seeding usually occurs. They also provide long lasting cut flowers
Grow in any fertile, well drained soil in full sun.
N. danascena ‘Oxford Blue’ – This fast growing, single stemmed or branching annual from Southern Europe and Northern Africa grows 20-24″ tall and 8″ wide. It produces ovate, finely divided, 2 or 3 pinnatisect, bright green leaves, 5″ long. In summer it bears terminal, many petaled, saucer shaped, double, dark blue flowers, to 1 3/4″ across, becoming sky blue with age, surrounded by a ruff of foliage finely divided at the tips, followed by green seed pods that mature to brown.
Zones 7-10
